Drawing animals has never been my strong suit. That was enough of a challenge for me. So throughout the year, I've worked in some sketches of my cat. Her name is Kisa. She's a Tortie mixed with a bit of Siamese. For those of you who don't know cat math that equals FEISTY. She may be fierce, but she' a beauty. Half her face is orange the other half black. Split right down the middle, even the pads on her paws match her distinct coloring. I think Anthony Bourdain described it best when he said: My house is run, essentially, by an adopted, fully clawed cat with a mean nature. Kisa does have a mean nature, I think that's what keeps her so young. She's 17 now and going strong. These are some of this year's cat drawings.
Oh, a perfect afternoon! 80 degrees, sunny, cool air coming off the water, sailboats, sunbathers, and knowing that there is nowhere I have to be. I have plenty of time for a leisurely 4 mile walk home after work. I pick a route through James Madison Park and follow the lake home. A chance to slip off my shoes, lay back on the grass, and listen to the seagulls overhead. This almost makes me want to live downtown. There are men playing frisbee, a woman with a ukulele, people reading, kids playing in the waves, any excuse to be outside in the beautiful weather. We take advantage of every day that isn't filled with snow or rain. The sound of the water and inviting sand are too much to resist. I wade in, the water is surprisingly warm. What a great way to spend an afternoon. This is how every work day should end. It pushes that world far away. This kind of slow quiet time lets me appreciate what's around me and gives my imagination space to come alive again. If this is nowhere - I want to be there.
This week I drew what was around me. The ordinary. There's often beauty in the ordinary. “Do not ask your children to strive for extraordinary lives. Such striving may seem admirable, but it is the way of foolishness. Help them instead to find the wonder and the marvel of an ordinary life. Show them the joy of tasting tomatoes, apples and pears. Show them how to cry when pets and people die. Show them the infinite pleasure in the touch of a hand. And make the ordinary come alive for them. The extraordinary will take care of itself.”
― William Martin, The Parent's Tao Te Ching: Ancient Advice for Modern Parents These sketches are from a series of some 900 photos of Marilyn Monroe, taken by Sam Shaw on a hot July day in 1957 at Amagansett Beach. Marilyn is reported to have said that those were the happiest two years of her life. Marilyn Monroe & Arthur Miller - At Amagansett Beach in the Hamptons 1957, by Sam Shaw |
Beauty and InspirationThis blog is about my inspirations and my love of art. I welcome your reactions to my work. Archives
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